Monday, March 12, 2012

Dancing My Way Thin and Misc Ellie Pics

I used to be poor in college, low on funds in my nursing career (hey, those student loans won't pay themselves!), and then strapped for cash again in grad school.  That means I spent a great deal of time chowing down on scrumptiously cheap Carnation Instant breakfast and oatmeal.  It was not a balanced diet by any means, but I had a decent body covered in gloriously, sexy scrubs.  Scrubs with teddy bears and Hello Kitty.


Then, I met Andrew (oh yes, I am totally blaming all of my weighty troubles on Mr. Hot Buns) and he introduced me to yummy food, fine cuisine, and butter and red meat and cheese.  I indulged perhaps a bit too much, as in all the time, because now I fear for my weight, my cholesterol, and potential diabetes.



The fact of the matter is I need to live forever.  Every parent worries about their children.  It is the nature of being a parent.  Yet, I worry so much about Ellie because who knows what the future will bring.  Will she be able live on her own?  Will she live in a group home?  Will she need to live with me and Andrew?  This isn't the typical "my kid is 21 years-old and out of the house" sort of set up here.  Hence, I need to live a very long time.  Not only that, I want to have a higher quality of life during my extended lifespan.  Energy.  Blood sugar control.  Normal cholesterol and blood pressure.  Plus, let's not kid ourselves here, perhaps a smidgen of full blown hotness with rock hard abs.



Some of you are well aware that I have started taking Zumba classes at 24 Hour Fitness.  What is Zumba?  It is dancing to music with an instructor in a class-like setting.  There is a huge Latin influence with a lot of salsa and meringue moves as well as hip-hop.  No, you do not need any experience.  Yes, it totally kicks booty.

Ellie Bear has her dancing moves down!


After a few weeks of sweating it out to music I do not normally gravitate towards, I have come to the overall conclusion that I am not exactly good at dancing.  Given the times when I am able to make it to the gym (typically late morning or very early evening), most people my age are working in the corporate world.  Therefore, I am one of the youngest people in the class.  I am also the most uncoordinated (feel free to snicker here). Oh yes, there are much older ladies who are way more coordinated and way more sexy at shaking those hips than I am.  I really thought that my years of salsa instruction would come in handy.  Not so.  Apparently Zumba salsa verse casino rueda salsa have slightly different footwork.  I am getting better with the more classes I attend, but most importantly, I am having fun.  So much fun that I actually work out for the hour-long class which is more than I can say for the treadmill, bike, or elliptical.

Which brings me to. . . . what kind of shoes do you recommend for Zumba?




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9 comments:

  1. You just inspired me to give Zumba a try! When you find out which shoes work best please share :) I have a pair of low top sketchers. I wonder if those would work..hmmmm....Maybe we can set up a forum to report our progress?? I need some pressure to help hold me accountable!

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  2. I know naught of shoes, but I was going to write a post about the "just dance" wii game. Props to you for getting out there in public - it's painful enough for me at home with just the kids to see me. [My son: you're supposed to do what they're doing! Me: I AM TRYING].

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  3. Self Magazine just emailed me their list of 5 recommended Zumba Sneakers.

    http://www.self.com/fitness/2012/03/5-best-zumba-sneakers-slideshow#slide=1

    I'm glad that you're enjoying Zumba. Do you have one of those scarves with coins dangling from them? It makes the hip shaking and shimmying rather fun.

    If you're ever feeling uncoordinated, just think of me. I've lost my balance on a spin and completely fallen on my rear. When the instructor ran over to make sure I was okay, I completely gave up any hope that it went unnoticed.

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  4. A lady at my gym, when I complained about the rubber on my tennis shoes catching, suggested that I check out a dance studio for special tennis shoes that dancers use to do these sort of dance classes in. Dorothy's Dance Studio here in San Antonio sells them (though I haven't yet checked them out) and I'm sure that Austin is bound to have a good dance shoes source, too. http://www.dorothykeckdancers.com/Coupons___.html even has a coupon, if you're ever in SA.

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  5. I love Zumba! I am still trying to find a good pair of shoes, and I have been doing Zumba for the better part of 4 years.

    My mom uses dance shoes. They look like sneakers but are not as grip-y on the bottom. My shoes are Nike Musique dance shoes. They are a bit on the narrow side (but I have wide feet). The most important thing is that you don't get running shoes, or shoes with too much grip.

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  6. Oh my dear...you are way braver than I...I am thinking about buying Zumba for our Kinect because I've gone to classes before and I am hor.ri.ble! I've recently been on a kick to get back in shape because I too need to live forever :-) Right now, the 30 Day Shred DVD is kicking my behind!

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  7. Thanks for all of the great shoe suggestions. I have been using running shoes because that is all I have, but I stick to the floor too much. 30 Day Shred! Julian Michael's almost killed me and I cannot even get through half the DVD!

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  8. Didn't I give you your old dance shoes one time when you visited?:-P Not the toe shoes but the other pink ones.

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  9. I don't do Zumba, but I imagine you need somethng without a lot of tread so you can rotate your feet easily. Running shoes are NOT good for that. I bought some New Balance trainers recently for TurboFire - got them at Zappos. They've been a huge improvement!

    One thing that's great about living in a community with a lot of retirees and snowbirds? Even at 42, I'm usually the youngest one at the gym!

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